Everytime Microsoft blunders, which is a lot and it is reported, it never fails that there will be numerous individuals proclaiming their switch to Linux. But I always feel like a lot of it is just simply clout, a pat-on-the-back feeling for deciding against the masses kind of feel.
And it always makes me beg to really see how those kind of people fare if they actually did switch and use Linux on a daily basis.
I’ll take anyone seriously if they actually switch and sometimes actually talk to me about how their Linux experience is going. Because more times than not, I always assume it’s some dual-boot user who could sneak their way back to Windows time to time and barely use Linux.
And I’ll see the statistics of the OS marketshare budge…slightly, for Linux. I’m proud that Linux at all that it is gaining more usage than it has before than where it had been 15+ years ago and earlier.
No.
I suppose I am one of those, although the process has been gradual over the last years.
Do I still use Windows? Yes - I earn a living designing and developing solutions in the ecosystem, although it is mostly on the corp server side of things. Azure can be easily managed on any of the three big OS’s.
Do I dual boot? Yes, but less and less. For gaming, flight sims are still not supported enough on Linux - to many extensions and add-ons are just not there yet. I am primarily on Linux though and all of my non-sim gaming on Linux nowadays. On my work laptop the Windows partition is bricked (as in Windows Update said bye-bye to it), so next re-install of Ubuntu LTS next year will see the Windows partition wiped.
Am I nostalgic about Windows? Not yet, after 1-2 years of Linux practically full time. Win11 is still on a downward trajectory. Linux is getting better with every distro release.
Have I gone more hard core in my Linux journey? I dabble in EndeavorOS, but mostly run Ubuntu. I am happy that it works. I am comfortable in the terminal so any DE works as long as it leaves me be.
Will I go back to Windows? Microsoft have a lot of work in front of them to regain my trust. It will be a harder switch with the Linux experience being as good as it is.
Do I have any sympathy for those who try and revert? Sure - change is difficult for many.
No, the more the merrier, even if it’s pure publicity.
I spare very little mental capacity to how people utilize their computers where it doesn’t directly affect me. No, it is not something I find worth being bothered about. Life’s hard enough regardless.
I could not give two shits what the reasons are and with which frequency someone uses Linux vs Windows say. If you use it you use it: welcome and enjoy your stay.
The community won’t grow meaningfully with gatekeeping and elitist behaviour.
Here’s my analogy:
I’ve been in the culinary industry 37+ years and a lot of famous chefs have come and gone, a lot have been very disparaged by regular chefs in the industry.
But here’s the thing: those famous chefs promote your industry, which in turn offers you more opportunities. They should be embraced, and not shit on.
Anyone who shows an interest, even if it’s only ‘fashionable’ because MS fucked up again, should be given the benefit of the doubt and assisted (if that’s your thing) or encouraged to break away from the kings of enshitification.
No, it has never even once bothered my why people install Linux on their own hardware. Not even now that you have brought it to my attention. What is on my mind right now is why you care so much.
He’s not talking about people who actually switched but those that publicly say, “I’m switching.” But never do or immediately backtrack.
What is on my mind right now is why you care so much.
He wants to hear about those that tried it and stayed and those that tried and went back. It’s very important to know both despite his hostile phrasing.
Well, it is rebellious.
No. People do what they do.
What I find more laughable is people complaining profusely about windows but doing nothing about it.
Using something different is hard too. Most people are somewhere between cows and idiots. I have been using Python since the late 90s even on Windows and at work too. I got some strange reactions and push back over the years. You just have to not care. We see now how that turned out. Now everyone agrees Python is useful.
No. I do not care what operating system people use, how they use it, if they dual boot, etc. If someone reaches out to me for help with Linux, I will help out and provide suggestions and guidance. If someone wants to dual boot and mostly use windows, cool. If they want to go back to windows or MacOS after using Linux, cool.
I use what I use, the way I use it, because it works for me. Because I enjoy it. Because I find value in it.
What other people decide to do or not do with their operating system choice has no effect on my life, or my thoughts, whatsoever.
If I was feeling as described in this post, I would take sometime away from the internet.
I always feel like a lot of it is just simply clout, a pat-on-the-back feeling for deciding against the masses kind of feel.
I think that’s more a reflection of you than anyone else.
I always assume it’s some dual-boot user who could sneak their way back to Windows
Everyone knows only posers use both! /s
no. and why does it matter to you so much? If someone wants to say they switched to linux then awesome, have at it, good job, have fun and all that. but then you roll in with “ok…how are you using it? show me!” who cares? you’re literally gate keeping an operating system.
you don’t have to commit to a damn operating system, it’s a tool. If I had a Brand A hammer and it really sucked I’d swap it for a Brand B hammer that was suggested to me. Now if Brand A suddenly started producing a better hammer and admitted their previous hammer was garbage then I would consider going back to Brand A.
If Microsoft came out tomorrow and said “you know what? we were wrong. We were wrong about AI, we were wrong about 11, we’re going to provide you with a better OS” I would consider going back to it. I’d at the very least try it. Or if someone came out with something brand new that wasn’t Linux or MacOS or Windows and it was a better tool than all of them I’d switch to that.
The point is I’m not going to lose sleep over someone wanting to switch and then not, why do I care? I got more stuff to worry about than some random stranger on the internet not using a specific OS. What DOES bother me more are people replying to comments where someone is having issues with Windows and says “just use linux” that isn’t helping anyone and you come off as a basement dwelling asshole that’s waiting on their chicken nuggies to finish heating in the microwave.
if someone came out with something brand new that wasn’t Linux or MacOS or Windows and it was a better tool than all of them
RIP BeOS
No, using an OS is not something that requires a promise of commitment. It’s a utility needed for using a computer.
As enthusiasts we want as many people as possible to use good OSs, even if it ends at just trying it out.
The more people try Linux the better regardless of their motives.Nope - if there are swathes who say they want to switch to Linux but ‘don’t commit’, that just reveals there is a real gap where Linux needs to be easier for people to install and use on a daily basis.
Most people don’t want to be a mechanic, they just want a car
I don’t want a car. I just have to have one to exist in society. 😩
I switched and I often mention that online.
First I was on a laptop with Linux Mint and ran into innumerable issues. Used that for a few years.
Then I got a new (used) laptop after my CTRL key stopped working (among other things) and tried to dual-boot the pre-installed Windows 11 “just in case” but ended up accidentally corrupting it so gave up and stayed on all Linux for my laptop. My new laptop mostly “just worked” as opposed to my old laptop that didn’t even have working bluetooth.
Then I moved my Desktop to Linux and transferred Windows 10 to the aforementioned laptop with the broken CTRL key. That laptop has been sititng untouched in my closet since I went full Linux in mid-October.
